Dear Oilfield…

A lot of people hate you. You leave a bad taste in the mouth of the general public. To your employees you can be unpredictable – there’s always your ups and downs to deal with. Booms followed by slow-downs. You bring a sense of uncertainty. Environmentalists hate you in general and would like to blame you for everything from air pollution to the extinction of the dinosaur. And of course there’s the lovely reputation of “oilfield trash” that your employees (and all of us that are oilfield families) have to deal with. It can be very unpleasant. But I’m not hateful or angry toward you, Oilfield. I’m actually writing out of appreciation – to thank you. Your positives outweigh your negatives and it’s time someone said thanks.

I’m thankful for you in so many ways, for so many different aspects. Not just for supporting my family financially through my husband’s career over the last 12 years, but for so much more than that. On a less personal level –oil and other fossil fuels play a huge part in our society, and even our daily lives. Oilfield, you are responsible for producing fuel for our vehicles, energy for our homes, and millions of products we use daily. Thank you for footballs, eye glasses, and bike helmets. Thank you for guitar strings, toothpaste, and artificial limbs. Nail polish, toilet seats and fishing lures –all brought to us by you. I’m grateful for all these things, and thousands more! I don’t think people realize how much we depend on oil and oil byproducts. We couldn’t get by without you!

Oilfield, you also have an effect on our economy. The big name oil companies pay enormous amounts of taxes which basically fund our government and help our states keep up on maintenance. Plus, there’s thousands upon thousands of families employed either directly or indirectly through “oilfield jobs”. You are our livelihood. The “oilfield” (in general) supports a great deal of America.

Aside from all that, Oilfield, you have affected me personally, in several ways. Being an oilfield wife has it’s dark moments for sure, but overall it’s made me a better person. I am stronger, more confident, and more capable than I ever thought I could be –all because of the lifestyle we have due to my Hot Oil Man’s job schedule. I’ve lived places and had adventures I never would have had otherwise. It’s all thanks to you.

So…it isn’t said often enough, but thank you Oilfield, for all you are and all you do. And also, a big thank you to the oilfield workers and oil-related companies for being a part of it.

Jenna has been an oilfield wife for over 12 years. Her Hot Oil Man husband started working in the oilfield a few months before they were married. The oilfield has lead them all the way from Northern CO to Alaska, where they've lived in the Matanuska Valley for 4 years. The family consists of their two children; a strong-willed daughter age 10, and a goofy son age 7. And of course what family would be complete without a couple of dogs and rabbits thrown in the mix. Jenna is a stay at home mom who doesn't “stay at home” much, and enjoys gardening, baking, reading, watching movies, four wheeling, hiking, fishing, and LOVES shopping. Since moving to the last frontier they have also started home schooling, which is another adventure all it’s own.